The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) has asked the FBI to investigate a threatening e-mail warning that patriots are armed and ready for war. The executive director of CAIR-MN, Jaylani Hussein, has said a similar, inflammatory email in nature was received from the same sender in December. The email from December was just an expression of hate. This email is much different, as it threatens physical harm.

The newest email’s subject line is, “Muslim Sewer Rats” and it reads:

Hey there Muslim PIG SWINE. We MILLIONS upon MILLIONS of PATRIOTS, armed to the teeth with HUNDREDS of millions of weapons, with literally over 50 BILLION rounds of horrific, violent camel jockey piercing rounds of ammo. We have a LEADER in the White House, now standing for JUDEO-Christian values. . .You have mistaken European White Males patience for weakness. Get ready to have a war. . .

The threats are especially troubling given the history of anti-Muslim violence in the area. Earlier this year, 57-year-old Anthony Sawina was sentenced to a year in prison for threatening to blow up the Tawfiq Islamic Center in Minneapolis in 2015. In May, a jury found him guilty of shooting and wounding two Somali-American men in Minneapolis who were on their way to prayers after playing basketball. He had no other beef with the two men other than their religion.

Trump’s ongoing rhetoric against Muslims have influenced those who have previously stayed in the closet with their hatred. Yes, we acknowledge there has always been a stigma regarding Islam here in the States. People always fear what they don’t understand or deem as a threat based upon alternative facts. It’s just that now our president is publicly hyping the distrust of Muslims and turning it into something violent – the very same reason these types of people say they hate Muslims.